Montreal, February 19th, 2019 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) welcomes the results of a national survey co-sponsored by Independent Jewish Voices Canada (IJV) and United Jewish People’s Order (UJPO) on Jewish Canadians opinion toward Israel-Palestine. The survey, conducted by EKOS Research from June to September 2018, reveals that contrary to public opinion, Jewish Canadians have a broad range of opinions on Israel-Palestine. It also reveals that a significant number of Jewish Canadians are critical of the Israeli government and its human rights abuses against Palestinians.
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Montreal, February 4th, 2019 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) rejects Quebec Premier François Legault’s remarks last week, in which he effectively denied the existence of Islamophobia in Quebec. Last Thursday, in response to questions from reporters about designating January 29th as a national day against Islamophobia, Legault stated: “I don’t think there is Islamophobia in Quebec, so I don’t see why there would be a day devoted to Islamophobia.” CJPME points out that there is no empirical support for Legault’s comments and calls on Legault’s government to take concrete measures to combat the growing problem of Islamophobia in the province.
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Montreal, January 29th, 2019 — On the second anniversary of the Quebec City Mosque Massacre, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) commemorates and remembers the tragic events at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City which left 6 dead and 19 injured. The victims included Azzeddine Soufiane, 57, father of three; Khaled Belkacemi, 60; Aboubaker Thabti; Mamadou Tanou, 42, father of two; Ibrahima Barry, 39, father of four; Abdelkrim Hassane, 41, father of three. CJPME also calls on the Federal government to designate January 29th as a national day of remembrance and action on Islamophobia and other forms of religious discrimination. In October, CJPME and the Canadian Muslim Forum (FMC-CMF) launched the “I Remember January 29” campaign (http://january29.ca) which enables Canadians to add their voice in support of this campaign.
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Montreal, January 17th, 2019 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) applauds the New Democrat Party of Canada’s (NDP) support for the January 29th campaign (http://january29.ca) against Islamophobia in Canada. The campaign, initiated by CJPME and the Canadian Muslim Forum (FMC-CMF), calls on the government to designate January 29th – the anniversary of the Quebec City Mosque Massacre – as a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia and other forms of religious discrimination, as per recommendation #30 of the M-103 report from Parliament's Heritage Committee.
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Montreal, January 4th, 2019 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) applauds the Canadian media’s scrutiny of the Jewish National Fund (JNF) – Canada. On Friday, the CBC’s Evan Dyer published a thorough article exposing how the JNF-Canada is in contravention of both Canadian and international law through its financial support of the Israeli military and projects that dispossess Palestinians of their land. The JNF-Canada’s illicit activities have been an open secret for years, and CJPME is pleased to see mainstream Canadian media discussing the problem.
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Montreal, December 17, 2018 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is encouraged to hear that the Trudeau government is looking for ways to stop exporting armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia. However, this news comes on the heels of last week’s passage of bill C-47, a highly flawed piece of legislation which purportedly has Canada accede to the international arms trade treaty (ATT.) For almost two years, CJPME, Amnesty International, Oxfam, Project Ploughshares, the Rideau Institute, and other civil society organizations criticized bill C-47 as falling short of the letter and spirit of the ATT. Yet when C-47 got Royal Consent last week, the concerns of civil society had been virtually ignored.
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Montreal, November 30th, 2018 — Yesterday, Statistics Canada (StatCan) released the police-reported hate crime statistics for 2017, revealing a 47% increase in hate crimes in Canada, especially those targeting Muslim, Jewish and Black populations. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is deeply concerned by the dramatic increase in hate crimes in Canada, which confirms the urgent need for the government to take concrete action against Islamophobia and other forms of religious discrimination. While StatCan recorded an increase in hate crimes across all categories of religion, StatCan notes that Muslims specifically experienced the highest increase in hate crimes, with the number more than doubling in 2017. CJPME calls on the government to take immediate action to address this phenomenon by adopting January 29th as a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia.
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Montreal, November 8th, 2018 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is surprised and disappointed by Prime Minister Trudeau’s smear on Canadians who support the peaceful boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel – known as BDS. Yesterday, PM Trudeau stood up in the House of Commons to apologize for Canada’s rejection of the hundreds of Jewish refugees in the MS St. Louis who were turned away by Canada in 1939, many of whom would be subsequently killed in the Holocaust. While delivering this long overdue apology, Trudeau shifted the conversation to condemn Canadians who support BDS and legitimate criticism of Israel. CJPME rejects Trudeau’s suggestion that of criticism of Israel is in any way related to the despicable anti-Semitism experienced by Jews in Canada.
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Montreal, November 2, 2018 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) calls on the Canadian government to amend the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (Bill C-85). This Bill, introduced in the House of Commons early last week, seeks to modernize the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement (CIFTA). Canadians expect their government to implement trade deals that are in line with Canadian foreign policy and commitments to human rights and international law. CJPME believes that Bill C-85 does not conform to these expectations, and must be amended to do so.
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Montreal, October 29, 2018 — Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is saddened and dismayed by the tragic shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA over the weekend which killed 11 and injured 9. CJPME expresses its deepest sympathy and solidarity with members of the American and Canadian Jewish communities following this heinous act, and calls for politicians on both sides of the border to do more to address the religious discrimination and bigoted attitudes that exist in both American and Canadian society.
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